Compelling American Conversations - Teacher Edition comes out!

LOS ANGELES - Nov. 3, 2015 - PRLog -- Chimayo Press, an LA-based educational publisher, releases Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition. This new title assists educators of English as a Second Language (ESL) working with intermediate students at the American high school and adult education levels, immigrant and international alike. Complementing and expanding upon the original material, Compelling American Conversatons – Questions and Quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners, this guide also includes new content on pronunciation, idioms and word structures to spark more lively English classroom discussions.

This 120-page expansion on the original fifteen chapters comes from Eric Roth, also the co-author of four other Compelling Conversations titles and a master lecturer at the University of Southern California (USC). His co-authors are Mark Treston, who has over 15 years of teaching experience in the US, Korea, Japan, and Israel, and Robert Glynn, a tenured adult ESL teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Their collective, hands-on teaching experience is what makes the Teacher Edition an invaluable resource for more inexperienced teachers and adjunct faculty alike. “We’ve probably taught immigrants and refugees from 75 or more countries in our careers combined,” notes Roth.

First released in 2012, Compelling American Conversations, written by Toni Aberson and Eric Roth, gained some critical praise and a small group of enthusiasts.“This book is fun and stimulating and, fortunately, very accessible for the intermediate learner,” noted Planaria Price, author of Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking.

Carl W. Hart, author of Rocket English Grammar and The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book, called Compelling American Conversations “a gold mine . . . . The combination of compelling conversation topics, which students enjoy; new vocabulary, which students crave; and brief grammar reminders, which students need, will get students talking and learning!” Despite this critical acclaim from some ESL authors and excerpts in the literacy monthly Easy English Times, Compelling American Conversations remains relatively unknown outside of Southern California adult education circles.

Many ESL Educators Can Benefit:

“I learned so much from Mark (Treston) and Robert (Glynn) about teaching speaking skills with my own book during this creative collaboration,” says Roth. “It’s both surprising and delightful. They brought so many insights and savvy techniques from their own ESL classroom experiences into the book. I suspect many other ESL educators can benefit from their teaching tips too!”

“Each chapter includes a list of learning objectives, extended vocabulary lessons, minimal pairs, and advice on paraphrasing proverbs and other extension activities. The combination of teaching tips, diverse extension activities, and additional cultural references makes it easier to provide insights into American culture while teaching English conversation. “Sometimes teachers are reluctant to teach conversation because students may ask unexpected questions,” adds Treston. “It can be stressful or wonderful. Our book reduces the stress and increases the wonder. And we like lively class discussions.”

Chapter titles – of both Student and Teacher Editions – include: Opening Moves; Going Beyond Hello; Making and Breaking Habits; Studying English; Being Yourself; Choosing and Keeping Friends; Playing and Watching Sports; Talking About American Television; Celebrating American Holidays; Being Stylish; Handling Stress; Practicing Job Interviews; Valuing Money and Finding Bargains; Exploring American Cities and Seeing Our World With Photographs.

Each chapter also concludes with reproducible ‘Search and Share’ communicative homework exercises in the appendix. These communicative, reproducible worksheets and tips help flip the classroom environment. The Search and Share format - where students collect information to share with classmates in small groups - both encourages and requires greater student participation and speaking in class. “English students need to be encouraged and supported as they gain competency and confidence,” concludes Roth. “Speaking English is harder than it looks.”

Although tailored for college and adult education students, the fluency-focused ESL textbook remains adaptable to other English programs and level. This ESL textbook expands the innovative fluency-focused ESL/EFL series that started with Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics written by Toni Aberson and Roth (2006). Since publication, Compelling Conversations has found readers in over 50 countries and established a niche among dedicated English teachers, online EFL tutors, and English conversation clubs. Compelling American Conversations is the third conversation book. The series also includes Compelling Conversations - Japan: Questions and Quotations for High Intermediate English Language Learners (2015) and Compelling Conversations - Vietnam: Questions and Quotations for Advanced Vietnamese English Language Learners (2011).

Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, like the other titles in the Compelling Conversations series, is available for purchase through http://www.chimayopress.com, www.compellingconversations.com, or Amazon.com

Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition

Price: $18.95
ISBN-13: 978-1512226751
Publication date: October 15, 2015


Compelling American Conversations – Student Edition

Price: $22.50
ISBN-13: 978-1468158366
eISBN: 978-09847985-0-6
Publication date: June 10, 2012